Phototherapeutic device and method

ABSTRACT

A microprocessor to control and to prevent failure in mechanisms, particularly those that perform timed intervals of work. The microprocessor controls the length of each interval of work, and limits the mechanism to perform only a predetermined number of work intervals, after which it deactivates the device, allowing the mechanism to reactivate only after entry of a coded number or operation of a key switch. The microprocessor monitors all functions of the mechanism and includes a first failsafe circuit that shuts down the mechanism in the event of malfunction. A second failsafe circuit monitors the first failsafe circuit, and bypasses it to shut down the mechanism in the event of malfunction in the first failsafe circuit.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of Invention

The general field of invention relates to failsafe controls formechanisms that perform repetitive cycles of work. More specifically,the field of invention relates to failsafe controls for mechanisms usedin the health care industry, including diagnostic and therapeuticmechanisms programmable to dispense selectable timed events. Mostspecifically, the field of invention relates to phototherapeuticradiation devices for home use.

2. Description of Related Art

In the general field of commerce there are many examples of automaticmechanisms that intermittently perform work responsive to actuatingmeans, timed or non-timed. Furnaces, air conditioners, ovens, kitchenappliances, lights, photocopy machines, and telecommunication devicesare but a few examples of miscellaneous prior art apparatus toillustrate the diversity of mechanisms that will benefit from thesubject invention. In the health care industry, the device is ofparticular benefit to photochemotherapeutic and phototherapeuticultraviolet radiation devices, autoclaves, therapeutic and diagnosticX-ray machines, including CT-scans and fluoroscopes, ultrasound,magnetic resonance and other body-imaging devices.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The subject invention was developed to solve specific safety problemsassociated with the use of therapeutic ultraviolet radiation machineryby providing a system of treatment that can be safely administered in apatient's home, without personal technical supervision. A preferredembodiment of the invention comprises a prescription-controlled,patient-operated, medical phototherapy treatment dispensing device.Coded prescription numbers which are entered in a programmablemicroprocessor control the number and length of treatments. When theprescribed number of treatments have been dispensed, a microprocessorcounter deactivates the device so that it is no longer operable by thepatient. If the patient's physician wishes the treatments to continue,the physician provides the patient with a new coded prescriptioncomprising a three or four-digit number. The patient scrolls this numbercode onto a microprocessor LED display, which reactivates the device foranother series of treatments pursuant to the second coded prescription.

To protect the patient from overexposure to ultraviolet radiation, aspecial failsafe sensor monitors all functions of the microprocessor.Upon detection of a malfunction, the failsafe monitor deactivates theultraviolet radiation means and activates audio and video warnings. Inaddition, failsafe circuitry monitors the sensor itself. Thus theinventive concept provides dual failsafe monitoring, wherein a firstfailsafe circuit monitors the operation of the machinery to which itapplies, and a second failsafe circuit monitors the operation of thefailsafe circuit itself.

The inventive concept is applicable to any mechanism that is intended tooperate for a preset length of time, and then to turn off. In an X-raymachine, for instance, if the machine malfunctions and does not shut offafter the preset time, the inventive failsafe circuit will shut off themachine. Also, if a machine is scheduled for calibration and/orpreventative maintenance after a predetermined number of cycles, theinventive failsafe circuit will deactivate the machine in a manner thatprevents reactivation unless certain procedures are followed. In kitchenequipment, e.g., ovens or deepfat fryers, a timer failure can result ina ruined product or a fire. The failsafe feature of the subjectinvention protects against such events. The invention is also useful incombination with machines that require maintenance inspections and/orrepairs after a pre-determined period of operation, such as varioustypes of motors and generators.

Accordingly, although the invention is described primarily in terms oftherapeutic ultraviolet radiation machinery, it will be appreciated thatthe invention can benefit any mechanism which has the means to provideselected timed events, and can provide failsafe means to protect anymechanism from failure during operation or from excessive use.

OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION

It is, therefore, an object of the invention to provide a mechanismcontrol means that will prevent the mechanism from failing in the onposition.

It is another object of the invention to provide a mechanism controlwhich will limit the operation of the mechanism to a predeterminedlength of time or to a predetermined number of events.

It is another object of the invention to provide a mechanism controlmeans which will monitor all vital functions of the mechanism and emitaudio and/or video warnings when it detects a malfunction of themechanism.

It is another object of the invention to provide mechanism control meanswhich will monitor all vital functions of the mechanism and which willshut the mechanism down when it detects a malfunction of the mechanism.

It is another object of the invention to provide a mechanism controlmeans which will monitor all vital functions of the mechanism, and whichincludes failsafe means to monitor the control means.

It is another object of the invention to provide a mechanism controlmeans with first failsafe means to monitor the control means and secondfailsafe means to monitor the first failsafe means.

It is another object of the invention to provide a mechanism controlmeans which will control the length of a single operation of themechanism, control the number of operations of the mechanism, andprovide audio and/or video warnings and/or means to deactivate themechanism when a malfunction occurs.

It is another object of the invention to provide ultraviolet radiationequipment for home use available only by physician's prescription.

It is another object of the invention to provide an ultravioletradiation device that is programmed to dispense timed treatments to apatient and that will deactivate after it has dispensed a predeterminednumber of timed treatments.

It is yet another object of the invention to provide an ultravioletradiation device with a programmable microprocessor having an LEDdigital display module into which coded numbers may be entered togenerate command signals to the microprocessor to perform predeterminedfunctions.

It is still another object of the invention to provide a microprocessorprogram to protect the user of the device from overexposure toultraviolet radiation.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a device withfailsafe means to monitor all functions of both the ultravioletradiation device and the microprocessor and to deactivate the devicewhen a malfunction is detected.

It is a still further object of the invention to provide a device thatspaces dispensed treatments by predetermined time intervals.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The foregoing and other objects and features of the invention willbecome apparent from the following description of preferred embodimentsof the invention with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a front elevational view in perspective of a preferredembodiment of the inventive device;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the microprocessor programmerdigital entry and LED display panel used in a preferred embodiment ofthe invention, showing the initial reading of zero, prior to programmingfor use;

FIG. 3 is a front elevational view of the digital entry and LED displaypanel of FIG. 2 showing an entered preselected time for one treatment;

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the digital entry and LED displaypanel of FIG. 2 showing an illustrative code number to be given to thephysician by the patient for cross-referencing to a second coded numberrequired to reprogram the device to dispense another limited number oftreatments;

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the digital entry and LED displaypanel of FIG. 2 showing the programmed code number given by thephysician to the patient in order to reprogram the device to dispenseanother limited number of treatments;

FIG. 6 is an illustrative display of coded numbers recorded in thephysician's coded number logbook for use to practice the invention, asshown in FIGS. 4 and 5;

FIG. 7 is a schematic block diagram of a preferred embodiment of theinvention;

FIG. 8 is a partial schematic block diagram of a modified version of theblock diagram of FIG. 7; and

FIG. 9 is a schematic block diagram of another preferred embodiment ofthe invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT OF THE INVENTION

Ultraviolet Radiation Devices

Since the inventive therapeutic ultraviolet radiation treatment deviceis presently the most complex embodiment of the invention, forexplanatory purposes it will be described as the first preferredembodiment. Referring first to FIG. 1, therein is shown the inventivedevice 10 comprising an ultraviolet radiation reflecting panel 12containing a bank of ultraviolet ray-emitting tubes 14. This device 10,by FDA regulations, can be sold only by the manufacturer to a patientupon presentation of a prescription from a duly accredited physician.The physician prescribes the number of treatments of the initial regimenand the length of time of each treatment. Both the maximum number oftreatments and the maximum duration of each treatment are preset intothe device by the manufacturer according to the prescription. In apreferred embodiment of the invention, the device may be factory presetfor a maximum number of treatments, e.g., twenty-five, fifty, onehundred, or two hundred, or the number may be unlimited in certaincircumstances. Although the duration of each treatment is preset in thepreferred embodiment of the invention for a maximum length of ten,twenty, or thirty minutes, the patient may program treatments of shorterduration.

A programmable microprocessor 16 is mounted in the front face 18 ofpanel 12. As shown in FIG. 2, the microprocessor 16 is provided with adisplay panel 20 which includes a start/stop button 22, a digital entryand LED display screen 24, "up" button 25 which calls up and indexesdigital numbers on the display screen 24 in sequentially increasingorder, "down" button 26 to index digital numbers on the display screen24 in sequentially decreasing order, and a combination warning LED light28 and solid state audio alarm 44 to alert the patient to an operatingcondition of the device 10. Display screen 24 in FIG. 2 also displaysthree zeros to indicate that no single treatment time has yet beenentered into the microprocessor 16.

Display screen 24 of FIG. 3 indicates that a single treatment time offive minutes and thirty seconds has been programmed into themicroprocessor timer 16.

Display screen 24 of FIG. 4 displays one of the series of sequentiallycoded numbers that may appear on the display screen 24 when five orfewer treatments of the preset number of total treatments remain to bedispensed by the device 10. After the remaining five treatments havebeen dispensed, the microprocessor 16 deactivates the UV lamps 14. Atthis time, the patient consults with his physician, and the patientreads the numeral appearing on the display screen 24, e.g., 9897, FIG.4, to the physician for cross reference to the physician's confidentialcoded number logbook. From the logbook the physician selects apredetermined reprogramming coded number for the additional number oftreatments he will prescribe for this patient. If he decides, forexample, that the patient should have an additional twenty-fivetreatments, he scans the column of sequentially listed coded numberscomprising the left-hand columns of the pages of the coded numberlogbook until he finds the numeral 9897. See FIG. 6. By reading acrossfrom left to right, he notes that to reprogram the device for anadditional twenty-five treatments, the reprogramming coded number is1234. The physician gives the coded number 1234 to the patient, whoenters that number on the display screen 24, as shown in FIG. 5, bydepressing the up button 25 until the screen displays the number 1234.With this new coded number displayed, the patient depresses thestart/stop button 22. If the solid state alarm 44 sounds twice, the newcoded number is either incorrect or was not properly entered. When thenew coded number has been correctly derived and correctly entered, thesolid state alarm 44 sounds once and the display indexes to 0:00 toindicate that treatments may resume.

Had the physician elected to prescribe fifty additional treatments,reference to the coded number logbook, FIG. 6, shows that thereprogramming coded number to be given to the patient is 4321. AlthoughFIG. 6 shows only three representative lines from a physician's codednumber logbook, in actual practice the inventive device may beprogrammed with over eight thousand deactivation coded numbers and overforty thousand corresponding reactivation code numbers, all of which arerecorded in the physician's coded number logbook. The prolixity of codenumbers prevents a patient from circumventing the physician'sprescription and provides longevity for the coded number logbook and thememory banks of coded numbers programmed into the microprocessor. Itshould be noted that the coded numbers selected and discussed herein arefor illustrative purposes only, and have been arbitrarily selected toprotect the confidentiality of the physician's coded number logbook.

To begin treatment, the patient enters the prescribed length oftreatment time, FIG. 3, and pushes the start/stop button 22, whichenergizes ultraviolet lamps 14. A single treatment countdown timer 40,FIG. 7, starts its countdown to zero, which is graphically shown ondisplay screen 24, FIG. 3. The patient can determine at any time howmany treatments remain to be dispensed by depressing the up button 25and the down button 26 simultaneously.

Referring to FIG. 7 in greater detail, therein is shown in block diagramthe ultraviolet ray dispenser panel 12 in combination with themicroprocessor 16 which controls the ultraviolet ray emission. Theinterface microchip logic circuit 30 coordinates and controls allfunctions of the microprocessor 16. When the patient receives the device10 from the manufacturer, it is preset for a selected number oftreatments by maximum treatments timing circuit 32 and for a maximumduration of individual treatments with mechanical four-position dipswitch 34. Dip switch 34 is not electronically programmable, but may bemechanically preset to any one of three time settings, ten, twenty, orthirty minutes. When switch 34A is closed, i.e., black in the downposition, with switches 34B and 34C open, i.e., black in the upposition, the maximum time selectable for the timer 40 is ten minutes.When switch 34B is closed, with switches 34A and 34C open, the maximumtime selectable is twenty minutes. When switches 34A and 34B are openand switch 34C is closed, the maximum time selectable is thirty minutes.Switch 34D is independent of switches 34A, 34B, and 34C, and when closedwill disable the maximum treatments timing circuit 32. The dip switch 34is not accessible to the patient, and can be changed only by a factorytechnician upon the patient's presenting a timing modificationprescription from the patient's physician to the manufacturer.

In order to place the device in use, a 120 or 240 AC power source 36 isconnected to a 12 VAC stepdown transformer 37, which is connectedthrough power switch 38 to the microprocessor logic circuit 30 and tostart/stop switch 22. When the device is first powered, the digitaldisplay screen 24 defaults to zero, as shown in FIG. 2.

The patient may interrupt the countdown at any time by again pressingthe start/stop button 22. The timer 40 stops, the countdown halts, aswould be shown on the digital display screen 24, and UV lamp relay 42opens and deenergizes ultraviolet lamps 14. To resume the treatment, thepatient once more presses the start/stop button 22, UV lamp relay 42closes and reenergizes ultraviolet lamps 14, and the countdown resumes,as again is shown on digital display screen 24. When the countdownreaches zero, the solid state alarm 44 sounds, and the countdown timer40 opens the UV lamp relay 42 to deenergize the ultraviolet lamps 14.

Each time start/stop switch 22 initiates a treatment, including thosetreatments resumed after an interruption, the total number of prescribedtreatments is reduced by one, as tracked by the treatment counter 46.When the number of remaining treatments have been counted down to five,an LED signal 28 flashes and the solid state alarm 44 sounds to alertthe patient that a new prescription is required if treatments are tocontinue after the countdown reaches zero. When the counter 46 recordszero as the number of remaining treatments, the UV lamp relay 42 againopens to deenergize lamps 14. At this juncture of operation, the patientis unable to reenergize lamps 14.

After the LED signal 28 flashes to signal that only five treatmentsremain to be dispensed, the next time the equipment is powered, the LEDdigital display screen 24 will show a three or four-digit code number,programmed into the treatment termination coded number storage bank 56,FIG. 7. See also FIG. 4. As aforesaid, the patient relays this number tothe prescribing physician, who consults his coded number logbook to findthe corresponding coded number programmed into the treatmentreactivation coded number storage bank 58, FIG. 7, that will reactivatethe system after the counter 46, FIG. 7, reaches zero.

Since one of the primary objects of the invention is to protect thepatient under all conceivable circumstances from overexposure toultraviolet radiation, failsafe sensor 50 continuously monitors allcircuits, relays, and switches while the equipment is powered. In theevent that failsafe sensor 50 detects a malfunction in the system, theservice LED 28 emits a steady light. Malfunctions generally fall intotwo categories: failure of UV lamps 14 to turn off, and failure inelectronic circuitry. When the UV lamps 14 fail to turn off uponconclusion of a treatment, failsafe sensor 50 signals logic circuit 30to deactivate UV lamp relay 42, which turns off UV lamps 14. When thereis a failure in the electronic circuitry, sensor 50 initiates a signalthat results in the opening of the UV lamp relay switch 42, and solidstate alarm 44 emits pulsating sounds continuously until the power 36 isremoved from the system.

Failsafe sensor monitor 52 provides additional protection for thepatient by detecting any malfunction of failsafe sensor 50 itself. Upondetection of a malfunction, after a delay of a few seconds, failsafesensor monitor 52 signals logic circuit 30 to override failsafe sensor50 and to deactivate the system. Simultaneously, message circuit 54transmits a malfunction message to the LED digital display panel 24,activated by either the failsafe sensor 50 or the failsafe sensormonitor 52. Any malfunction of the device, therefore, results indeactivation of the UV lamps 14, and the microprocessor 16 transmitsboth audio and video warnings through solid state alarm 44 and serviceLED 28, respectively.

In UV phototherapy treatment, it is important that the patient not onlyfaithfully adhere to the prescribed length of each treatment and notexceed the number of treatments prescribed, but also that he limit thenumber of treatments dispensed by the device within a given length oftime. Accordingly, a modified embodiment of the invention provides meansto limit the number of treatments that can be dispensed by the inventivedevice within a predetermined period. This modified embodiment includesthe circuitry of FIG. 7, to which the circuitry of FIG. 8 has beenadded. Thus, as previously described, the single treatment countdowntimer 40, FIG. 8, through interface logic circuit 30, opens UV lamprelay 42 after the prescribed treatment time has expired. When UV lamprelay 42 opens, UV lamps 14 are deenergized. Simultaneously with theopening of UV lamp relay 42, single treatment countdown timer 40activates UV lamp relay delay countdown timer 60 to prevent UV lamprelay 42 from closing until delay timer 60 counts down for apredetermined period of time. For instance, if the physician prescribesone daily treatment, delay timer 60 prevents relay 42 from closing fortwenty-four hours. One means of changing the length of the countdownperiod is a dip switch 62, similar to dip switch 34, which can beselectively preset to establish countdown periods, such as six, twelve,eighteen, or twenty-four hours, with switches 60A, 60B, 60C, and 60D.Other means of reprogramming the timer 60, well known to those skilledin the art, may also be used.

The first embodiment of the subject inventive device is a safe source ofultraviolet phototherapy which protects the patient from inadvertentoverdosage of prescribed treatments of ultraviolet radiation, UVA, PUVA,or UVB, by novel means for restricting the length and number oftreatments; which permits the patient to receive UV treatments at home;and which provides the physician with means to prescribe home treatmentwhile maintaining reasonable control over the treatments.

It will be appreciated that the ultraviolet ray-dispensing apparatusportion of the invention may take many forms. The apparatus may be aflat rectangular panel, waist high or full body length, which housesseveral fluorescent tubes. The tubes may be UVA, UVB, or a combinationof both. The apparatus may comprise a full enclosure cabinet whichcompletely surrounds the patient with fluorescent ultraviolet tubes.Another embodiment is a compact box-like device into which a hand orfoot can be placed for treatment. Yet another embodiment is a smallhand-held, wand type, device to be used for treating localized skinproblems on various parts of the body. In short, the invention is notlimited to any UV specification or to any particular configuration orsize of ultraviolet-ray dispensing means.

Other Therapeutic and Diagnostic Machines

There are many embodiments of medical therapeutic and diagnostic devicesthat rely on timers and periodic calibration, such as X-ray machines,including computed tomography devices ("Cat-scans") and fluoroscopicdevices. The energy dispensed by X-ray machines is measured in terms ofmilliamperes/seconds (MAS) at a predetermined voltage measured inkilovolts. Other diagnostic devices expose patients to electromagneticenergy, such as magnetic resonance imaging machines, which pulse thepatient with energy at radio frequencies, and ultrasound devices, whichtransduce electric pulses into sound pulses, then back to electricpulses. With each of these devices the invention is well suited toprovide control means to protect both the patient and the machine in theevent of a malfunction.

Referring to FIG. 9, a medical therapeutic or diagnostic mechanism 100is connected to the interface logic circuit 102 of the microprocessor104 through an on/off relay 106. A requisite source of power 108 issupplied to the interface logic circuit 102 through power on/off switch110 and stepdown transformer 112. A single event timer 114 isinterconnected between a combined audio/video alarm 116 and interfacelogic circuit 102. If a malfunction occurs in the single event timer114, failsafe sensor 118 detects the malfunction and transmits a signalto the interface logic circuit 102, the audio/video alarm 116, andon-off relay 106. Failsafe sensor 118 also monitors the functioning ofinterface logic circuit 102. In the event of any malfunction, failsafesensor 118 will cause on/off relay 106 to open. In tandem with failsafesensor 118 is a failsafe sensor monitor 120 which monitors the functionsof the failsafe sensor 118. If failsafe sensor monitor 120 detects amalfunction, it bypasses the failsafe sensor 118, opens the on-off relay106, and actuates the audio/video alarm 116. A total events counter 122is programmed to open the on-off relay 106 after a predetermined numberof events have been counted and to render the on-off relay 106 unable torestart the mechanism 100.

Simultaneously, a digital display and programmer module 124 displays afirst coded number. In order to restart the mechanism 100, a secondcoded number cross-referenced from the first coded number, must bescrolled onto the digital display 124, which renders on-off relay 106again operable. Microprocessor 104, therefore, assures that the singleevent timer is working satisfactorily, and, if it is not, promptly shutsdown mechanism 100 to protect the patient. In addition, the program willshut down the mechanism after a predetermined number of events forrecalibration and/or preventive maintenance. This total-events shutdownprotects both the patient and the mechanism. In lieu of the use of acoded number to reactivate the mechanism, a key-lock bypass 126 is analternative means to reactivate the on-off relay 106 under certainconditions.

Commercial-Industrial Applications

The subject invention has application to protect industrial machineryfrom failure in the on position, as well as to shut down a mechanismafter a predetermined period for preventative maintenance. Variousfeatures of the invention may be selectively applied to a givenmechanism. Thus, where only preventative maintenance is a concern, themicroprocessor 104, FIG. 9, can be modified to eliminate the singleevent timer circuitry 114. In other circumstances, only the single eventtiming circuitry 114 may be of interest, wherein the total eventscounter 122 may be eliminated. Also, in simple applications, thekey-lock bypass 126 may be preferable to the digital display andprogrammer module 124.

It will occur to those skilled in the art, upon reading the foregoingdescription of the preferred embodiments of the invention, taken inconjunction with a study of the drawings, that certain modifications maybe made to the invention without departing from the intent or scope ofthe invention. It is intended, therefore, that the invention beconstrued and limited only by the appended claims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A coded prescription-controlled phototherapytreatment dispensing device comprising:First means for generatingtherapeutic light emissions treatments; Second means for activation anddeactivation of said first means; Third means for timing the length ofeach said therapeutic light emission treatments; Fourth means forlimiting said therapeutic light emission treatments to a prescribednumber; Fifth means for generating and displaying a first coded sequenceof numerals when said first means has been activated a predeterminednumber of times; Sixth means to cross reference said first codedsequence of numerals to a second coded prescription sequence of numeralsprescribing a second sequence of treatments; Seventh means adapted tooverride said fourth means responsive to a signal; Eighth means toconvert said second coded prescription sequence of numerals into saidsignal; and Ninth means to relay said signal to said seventh means,whereupon said coded prescription-controlled phototherapy dispenser isprogrammed to provide a second series of phototherapy treatments.
 2. Incombination, an ultraviolet radiation dispensing device and aprogrammable microprocessor having a first microchip memory bank of afirst set of coded, numbered, commands; a second microchip memory bankof a second set of coded, numbered, commands; a digital coded numberinput module; means to energize said device in response to one of saidcoded number commands from said first microchip memory bank; means toenergize said device for a period of time responsive to a timing numberentered in said input module; means to disable said device after apredetermined number of times said device has been energized; means tosequentially display a coded number from said second microchip memorybank on said input module; means to cross reference sequentiallydisplayed coded numbers to companion coded numbers in said firstmicrochip memory bank; and means to enter said companion coded numbersin said input module to generate a command by said microprocessor toreenergize said device.
 3. A coded prescription phototherapy treatmentdispensing device comprising;light emission means; a programmablemicroprocessor programmed to control the functioning of said lightemission means, said microprocessor including switch means adapted toclose to energize said light emission means and to open to deenergizesaid light emission means; first means to limit each energization ofsaid light emission means to a first predetermined period of time;second means to disable said light emission means after said lightemission means has been energized and deenergized a predetermined numberof times; and, countdown means to delay for a predetermined period oftime the closing of said switch means.
 4. The device of claim 3,including means to program said countdown means to provide selectivecountdown periods.
 5. A coded prescription phototherapy treatmentdispensing device comprising:light emission means; a programmablemicroprocessor programmed to control the functioning of said lightemission means, said microprocessor including switch means adapted toclose to energize said light emission means and to open to deenergizesaid light emission means; first means to limit each energization ofsaid light emission means to a first predetermined period of time;second means to disable said light emission means after said lightemission means has been energized and deenergized a predetermined numberof times; a first selection of sequentially increasing stored numbers; afirst number storage bank in said microprocessor in which saidsequentially increasing numbers are stored; a digital number display onsaid microprocessor; means to display one of said sequentiallyincreasing stored numbers on said digital number display after saidlight emission means has been energized a predetermined number of times;a second selection of random numbers; a second random number storagebank in said microprocessor in which said random numbers are stored;means to cross reference one of said first selection of sequentiallyincreasing stored numbers to one of said selection of random numbers;means to enter one of said selection of random numbers on said digitalnumber display; and, means energized by the entering of one of saidselection of random numbers on said digital number display to reactivatesaid light emission means.
 6. The device of claim 5, wherein said one ofsaid first selection of sequentially increasing stored numbers is crossreferenced to one or more of said selection of random numbers, any oneof which, when entered on said digital number display, will activatesaid means to reactivate said light emission means.
 7. A method ofoperating a coded prescription phototherapy treatment dispensing device,said device having light emission means; a programmable microprocessorprogrammed to control the functioning of said light emission means, saidmicroprocessor including switch means adapted to close to energize saidlight emission means and to open to deenergize said light emissionmeans; first means to limit each energization of said light emissionmeans to a first predetermined period of time; and second means todisable said light emission means after said light emission means hasbeen energized and deenergized a predetermined number of times; atreatment countdown timer and number display;said method including thesteps of:(a) closing said switch means to energize said device; (b)entering the length of treatment on said countdown timer; (c) actuatingsaid means to energize said light emission means for a predeterminedperiod of time; (d) for a first treatment, locating the portion of thebody to be treated in the path of the light emitted by the lightemission means for said predetermined period of time; (e) reactivatingthe device for a second treatment by repeating preceding steps (a), (b),(c), and (d); (f) continuing the treatments until the device is disabledby said means to disable said light emission means; (g) observing thenumber that appears on said countdown treatment timer and number displayprior to the disabling of said device; (h) cross-referencing said numberto a table of numbers to determine a treatment reactivation number; (i)entering said treatment reactivation number on said treatment countdowntimer and number display; (j) entering on said treatment countdown timerand number display the length of treatment; (k) actuating said means toenergize said light emission means; and, (1) locating the portion of thebody to be treated in the path of the light emitted by said lightemission means for said predetermined period of time.